The star of this burger is the cheesy sauce. Before making it we char peppers on the grill until blistered and almost black. The peppers are thrown into a bag to steam and fifteen minutes later we can tear away the charred skin. Depending on how spicy you like things, you can remove the seeds and membrane from the peppers or leave them. The more you leave, the spicier the sauce will be.

When the peppers are roasted you can made the queso sauce. If you have ever made our macaroni and cheese recipe, the steps are very similar. Melt butter in a pan, add some flour then whisk in milk. After a few minutes of it bubbling away, the sauce will be thick and creamy. That’s when it is time for the cheese — three whole cups of grated cheese is melted in. The last step is to season with salt and pepper then stir in the roasted peppers. The roasted peppers flavor the sauce and add spice.

After grilling the burgers, we top them with an obnoxious amount of the cheesy sauce and finish with sliced avocado and a heaping spoonful of fresh salsa.

Queso Blanco Burger Recipe

PREP 10mins

COOK 30mins

TOTAL 40mins

This burger is over the top, but so delicious. When making burger patties, choose ground chuck or round that is 20% fat content. This makes the juiciest burgers.

You can make the queso sauce up to 3 days in advance. Cool then press plastic wrap directly onto the top of the sauce to prevent a skin from forming. Keep refrigerated. When you want to use it, place it over moderately low heat to slowly warm up.

Directions

Make Queso Sauce

Place peppers onto the grill over moderately high heat. Cook, turning occasionally until most of the skin has blistered and turned dark brown or black.

Transfer peppers to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap so they steam. After 15 minutes peel away the blistered skin from each pepper then remove the stems. Scrape away some or all of the seeds and white membrane inside the peppers depending on how spicy you want the sauce. Chop the peppers into small pieces ready for the sauce.

Melt the butter in a large, high-sided pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, add milk to a large microwave-safe measuring jug and microwave 1 to 3 minutes until warm. Alternatively, you can add milk to a large saucepan over medium heat then heat milk until warm.

Add the flour to the onions and cook, whisking constantly 1 to 2 minutes until the butter smells fragrant and nutty — the color of the butter-flour mixture will be light brown.

While whisking, slowly pour the warm milk into butter and flour mixture. Continue to cook, whisking constantly until the sauce bubbles and thickens.

Remove pan from the heat and add the cheese. Stir until the heat from the sauce melts the cheese. Add the peppers, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Taste for seasoning, and then adjust with additional salt.

Make Burgers

Form beef into four 6-ounce hamburger patties. Use your thumb to imprint a dimple into the middle of each burger. (This prevents the middle of the burgers from puffing up while cooking). Season both sides of the hamburgers with salt and pepper.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a cast iron pan over medium heat. Cook hamburger patties, 3 to 4 minutes on each side, depending on how well done you like it. Or grill burgers on an outdoor grill. Rest burgers covered loosely with aluminum foil for 5 minutes then serve with sauce and toppings.

To Finish

Assemble burgers. Spread a little queso sauce onto bottom halves of each bun. Place the hamburger patty on the bottom half and add a quarter of avocado and salsa. Top with more queso sauce and the top of the bun.

The whole process and fresh food on grill and colors looks amazing and very appetizing! I have never tried grilling jalapeno or tried in a burger, did it make it too spicy? I like a little zing, not too much!

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